


Ready, Aim, Fire (Breathe)

by everowlskies



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, underwater au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-09
Updated: 2014-03-09
Packaged: 2018-01-15 02:57:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1288618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everowlskies/pseuds/everowlskies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Would you believe a person if they told you they had never seen the sun, felt the cool crisp touch of the wind, or ran through fields of swaying grass, staring up at snow-peaked mountains? Would you believe me if I told you I’d never seen clouds, or the moon, or the stars–that they were only fables in old story books we used to read in school? Would you believe me if I told you I lived in an endless night?”</p>
<p>Here it is, from the creators of MS01, comes a thrilling tale of love and war, not particularly in that order though. Welcome to the society, where the world’s last inhabitants thrive in peace and solitude. Haruka Nanase, one quiet, yet perfect soldier has never dreamed of anything more than serving in the military. He loves the feel of the ocean’s grasp as he collides with it, and knows nothing more than the pain that it can bring. It’s swallowed somebody he’s desperately cared for, deep within the grasps of the military’s enemy. But is that person truly dead? What happens when the dead some back to life, bringing stories of places humans would never dare step foot in again?</p>
<p>Welcome to Breathe, where it is 2405 and we’re all trapped in a fishbowl.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Wounded Soldiers

The siren went off early that morning, an insistent shrilling noise that shocked soldiers out of their bunks. It was terrible and loud, making the hallways rumble with footsteps. Inside his ‘closet’–as the warriors who lived here so aptly called them–a male slept soundly, that was, if he could even sleep. To any outsider his closet would seem empty and unused, for the occupant within had no motivation to toss himself into the sea of chaos around them. Taking a bandaged hand, he dragged his old wool blanket over his head and sighed deeply, inadvertently wracking his chest with bouts of coughing. Inhaling sharply, the soldier faced his head towards the wall, staring at the posters and pictures he had taped up from so long ago. Before he knew it the magnitude of the madness outside was overbearing, and he tried shutting his sapphire eyes, to no avail on his behalf. Loud masculine voices shouted orders and heavy metallic clanking echoed at the end of the hall. It was true hysteria, not something suiting for… the soldier propped himself up slightly on his aching elbows to face the blinking analog clock on the shelf at the end of his bed over his feet… three forty five in the morning.

Rolling himself back up under his covers, he relished the time he lived in a home with a large bed. Nowadays he, with all the other combatants, slept in an easy row of bunks, or ‘closets’. They were rooms lining up and down catacomb-like hallways, and stacked three high. The enclosures were small, small enough to induce a nagging claustrophobic anxiety, and about ten feet long, four feet wide, and nine feet tall. All that rested within them were tall beds, stopping halfway up at about four and a half feet. Under the mattress lay tiny cubby holes and drawers to store clothes and personal items if a person had any, and at the end of the bed there was a desk, about a foot by four, and it was there mainly to eat extra meals if needed, considering it wasn’t terribly large. Above the desk was a small flat-screen imbedded in the wall, used mainly for those sweet fleeting moments of recreation before sleep clamped its heavy jaws around you. It was that and then a shelf winding around the ceiling, where he kept his clock and other things. Soldiers never lived the life of luxury.

Facing the sliding door that also served as a wall, the male stared out the long window at the top, only being able to see the shadows of bodies as they rushed by in hurried fashions. It was the only light in the room, and until the alarm went off, it was dark, casting only a soothing green glow from the endless light-fixtures in-between bunks. As soon as the distress signal went up the floodlights were automatically lit, and doors to bunks slid open quickly, releasing the ever-so-familiar sound of an air lock. Thumps from men jumping out of their beds into the hallway resounded everywhere, and soon it was more of an arranged noise. Humans marched down the hallway quickly, heading out towards the suiting stations. Flinching, he listened as people stirred above, opening their doors and jumping out onto the metal catwalks above. The sound of feet on that steel surface made the other cringe, not because of the feeling of the noise, but the longing to sleep. He would be damned if he didn’t get his allotted hours this night in particular.

Tossing and turning deemed all he could really do as he heard a familiar barking at the end of the hallway. He knew that voice, it was the captain.

Whirling back towards the wall he quickly shoved his blankets over his head and buried his face into his old pillow. It seemed he wouldn’t get out of this one, what a shame. He was aching from the last fight, one he could ever barely remember, and that was only two days ago. The attacks were becoming more and more frequent that whenever one happened, the male could do nothing but smirk as if the world was some kind of sick joke.

He barely had time to sigh again when he heard the control panel on his door beep acceptingly and it slid open quickly, flooding his bunk with ugly fluorescent light. A shadow of a man ran up the wall, and the sound of steel settling on hundreds of little plates signaled he was by this time suited up and ready to go. The soldier heard an exhausted sigh and a familiar tone to a cheery alto voice.

“Hope I didn’t wake you,” He carried a straight face, but he could help but smile, it was an unbreakable habit of his. “C’mon Haru, get out of bed.”

“And if I don’t?” Came the disgruntled reply.

The captain frowned, resting a hand on his hip. “You can’t for this one, both companies are required for the success of this mission.”

“Where are we going?” Haruka leaned up on his hands, beginning to set himself in a sitting position. He played at a bandage covering his eye, and gave the other an unwilling smirk. The captain stood before him, clad in polished steel and cables suited for battle, he held a glass-encased helmet under one hand, fluorescent green wires dangling from it precariously. His messy brown hair hung in his eyes, indicating that he too had been awoken from sleep, and heavy rings were relentlessly darkening under his emerald eyes. He looked more beat than the other, making Haruka feel worse than he already did. Waiting for an answer, he watched the other shift uncomfortably, and he knew it was not the result of the suit he wore.

“Where are we going?” He repeated, this time more fastidiously.

“The old city,” The captain looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. “The, uh, Cable Yards.”

Haruka’s blood ran to ice and he fought back something painful as the other watched uneasily. A long moment of silence pursued the raven-haired warrior’s hush, making for an uncomfortable atmosphere. It wasn’t something out of the ordinary, whenever Haruka lost himself for moments, but times like these weren’t the most contented for the captain. It brought the both of them back to stretches they’d both rather forget. Death was a painful thing, creating wounds so abysmal and deep that time could never heal them. It was mere seconds later that he heard the other throw the covers away and leap onto the floor, shocking him out of his trance.

“I’m sorry you have to do this.” He muttered quickly, but the soldier would have nothing of it. Taking out a gray tank-top, he slid it on over his bandaged limbs.

“It’s not your fault Makoto.” Haruka murmured quietly, standing up. “You had no say in what I could do this time. You’ve shielded me long enough from that place.”

“I just don’t want you to get hurt again.” His eyes went dark, and his body rigid. He was right to worry, but the soldier knew he’d have to face his old fears some time.

“It was years ago.” He looked towards the end of the hallway, focusing in on those jogging from the adjacent ones running through it.

“We were kids.” Makoto’s eyes narrowed into sharp points of grief. His voice was trembling, shaking from pain and rage hidden deep within. He had harder times controlling what emotions came out of him, Haruka knew that their whole life.

“We’re not kids any longer.” The stoic soldier face back towards him with a strident glare. He was growing weary of the other’s distress, it wasn’t a good emotion when it came to war.

“He shouldn’t have died.” Makoto clenched his hands into fists, his face contorting angrily.

“Rin is dead.” Haruka snapped at him, and the other stared in unadulterated surprise. It was the first time Makoto had heard Haruka utter his name since they were kids, and he was screaming it away in the face of the enemy. They both remembered it like it was happening then and there: the beast’s menacing scarlet glow, the predatory look in its metallic eyes, and the sound of children screaming.

Makoto stood quietly as the other started to stride away, an irate look crossing over his features. The captain followed quickly in pursuit, knowing that if Haruka had a more sociable atmosphere, he would have been deemed leader. He was cold and to the point, never once letting the fear of pain or death get in his way. He wasn’t easily angered, and never made rash decisions. It seemed to much easier to just follow him, but he had seen too much, and it made him a hollow pit of cynicism and reclusive tendencies.

They headed down the hall quickly, dodging those sprinting from adjacent passages heading towards the machinists lobby to get suited up. Without thinking of anything but battle, Haruka slowed to let the other catch up to him, stopping only once to tell a group of confused newbies what was going on. They all tried to stay calm during the ordeal, but one so fresh out of the easy life had troubles when it came to screaming alarms and the sense of dread that never left your chest. Makoto smiled reassuringly to all who passed by, and waved once or twice. This was why he was captain of this company, and not Haruka. Sure his skills weren’t as refined as the stoic soldier’s, but he knew how to calm a crowd, and that was the one trait to keep thousands of people alive.

“Do you know any of the details yet?” Haruka asked almost inaudibly, catching Makoto’s attention.

He caught up, and nodded, motioning to the other. “There’s been some complaints of an unsettling disturbance down there. Maintenance workers who keep that junkyard free of pests have been reporting strange noises and a couple of their hounds have been found chewed to tiny metallic bits.”

Haruka stared at him in confusion. “If it’s only a complaint then why are we heading out at four in the morning?”

Makoto grinned as they reached the large door to the machinists lobby. “Three workers just got eaten. It was a couple of the survivors that sent out the distress call, they’re trapped under a pile of debris. They have an infestation on their hands.”

Haruka let out a bitter snort and smirked. “Awfully big rodents.”

Makoto laughed. “Awfully big rodents.” 

***

This was the easy part, getting on the armor that ensured a person’s safety out in the unknown waters of the world. Haruka stepped on a platform, and held his arms out. Tiny metallic appendages rose up towards him, carrying plate after plate. Feeling the steel get pressed against his skin, he looked around. The lobby was huge, consisting of at least a hundred of these machines. They were little robots, made of platforms and arms that rose a couple meters off the floor lined up against the wall of the colossal building. People waited in line to punch in the number of their suit and have it rushed down on a line that ran around the entire room. It was like waiting for your dry-cleaning, except having it shoved on you once you got it back. Suits flew out of a hole in the wall with amazing speed, stiffly clanking together as they headed to their destination. Haruka stared down at the people waiting in line below after him, all talking amongst each other behind the gates.

Inhaling sharply as his arms were pressed with steel plates, he wished he wasn’t as injured as he was. He would have to remind himself to take it easy. The last time he wore this suit, he almost had his arm ripped off. Feeling the new plates rub against his wetsuit, he let the final chest-plate be installed. The armor was heavy, suiting for outside work if anything. The pressure gauges on the panel on his arm read safe levels as the air within got released and he felt the suit stick to him like glue.

“Soldier 401: Haruka Nanase,” The machine toned in a feminine voice, and then opened a hatch under the computer screen that revealed his helmet and boots. “Ready for combat.”

Picking up both of the items, he felt his arm strain as the heavy, lead-plated boots weighed him down. The platform fell back down into the floor and he stepped off of it, heaving himself towards Makoto with a darkening frown.

“Let’s go.”

***

Inside a dark room, almost two hundred soldiers waited for their leave. It was crowded, like an area in line for an amusement park would be. Haruka waited by Makoto, helmet on and breather attached underneath, glowing a feint aqua color. His feet felt as if they were rooted in the floor, the heavy lead supplements making it impossible to move his legs. Everyone recognized the sensory as he did though, it was no odd feeling. The enclosure illuminated in all colors, those of blue and green, on one half, and red and orange on the other. They were the colors of both parties, awaiting their release outside. The dark world was daunting, and people all over itched to get out and play. It was a human thing to do, and that pleased the captains at both ends.

Suddenly, at the top of the room in front of everybody, a screen lit up. It showed the face of the commander, an old man with balding blonde hair. He stared down at the group of soldiers with hidden unease, as he always did, and addressed the crowd like he had done thousands of times before.

“Soldiers, it is time once again to release you into the cold, unforgiving world.” He spoke in an old voice, filled with years of age and wisdom. “You’ve trained up to this point to face anything thrown at you. Before you go set your radios to station 5, and check your monitors for any signs of a problem. I bid you farewell and safe waters.”

The screen buzzed out, flashing once before merging back into the wall above them. A loud buzz echoed through the cavernous room, shaking the people within. Loud murmurs from the newest soldiers sounded confused, and highly apprehensive. At the front of the group, Makoto stood still, staring at the wall before them expectantly. For those who had been in training since they were children, it was no surprise when the room flooded with red light. People up in boxes at the top of the room played with control panels and a loud warning drill started to sound off, reverberating around the entirety on the area. Tuning it out with one final turn of the dial on his helmet, Haruka heard nothing but the static of the radio in his ears. He stepped up beside Makoto quickly, dragging his feet behind him.

“You ready?” He radioed to the other on their own personal station, and Makoto grinned under his breather.

“Yeah.”

The room exploded into a treacherous rumble, and the floor shook as if a magnitude nine earthquake was upon them. Flashing yellow light ran in circles as the wall before them shuddered, and shrieked loudly. With one last heave it began to rise before them, and something beyond the thoughts of any regular human happened.

Water immediately poured in from the outside, flooding the room quickly in its murky grasp. Black waves rushed at Haruka’s sides as the room began to submerge. Soldiers gasped in fear as it blasted in, consuming the front ranks of the companies completely. To those who were new, it was horrifying beyond compare. To Haruka, feeling the water explode around you, taking you under quickly and relentlessly, it was exhilarating. He let a small grin play on his lips as the water went over everyone’s heads and the doors opened up completely to the outside world.

It was a thrilling idea, the thought of being free. And as Haruka began to run, the weighted shoes feeling normally light under the water, he believed just for a second that he was. Leaping off the platform into the dark, he was the first to leave civilization. Makoto grinned behind him as they tumbled down and down the Cliffside of Society, looking out at the twinkling lights of windows of buildings along the rocky crag. They all seemed so small compared to the massive infrastructures along the trench’s wall, but weren’t they all? It was a beauty, watching it all disappear as they drifted into the depths. The depths of Mariana’s Trench. It was the only place where humans were safe. They were living, they were hiding, and they were prospering.

Under water.


	2. The Forbidden Land

Haruka landed on the bottom of the earth with a thud, feeling his boots throw up sand and rocks as he stumbled forward, balancing himself with his arms. He felt a sluggish current drag at his shoulders, but nothing more. The forecast down at the bottom of the trench spoke of no unruly conditions, slow currents, and medium visibility. It was nothing like the last time he was down here. The soldier hadn’t been at the bottom of Society in years; Makoto had made sure every mission he attended was on the mainland or somewhere above mid-wall. He wondered how many times the captain had suffered down here in the time he had been recuperating. It had been far too long since he had faced his fears, and he wasn’t going to give up no matter how unnerved he had become.

Feeling Makoto land behind him, he watched as dirt flew up everywhere, obscuring his view. Turning to face him, Haruka pulled out his gun and unlatched the safety, letting it start to load. The Cable Yard was an unforgiving place, and they all had to be on their feet. It was the graveyard of all human attempts to resurface, and many broken ships and discarded dreams slept there for all of eternity until they corroded away or were inhabited by the creatures who thrived in the depths. It wasn’t a place for people to be, it was a place of absolute desolation and dangerous creatures.

Soldiers poured in behind them as they strode forward, heading into the darkness. It wasn’t absolute darkness, though. Haruka thanked whatever god out there for the huge amount of light pollution in the water from society and trudged onward, feeling his muscles ache and his armor pull at his skin.

He followed Makoto, deep into the darker parts of the yard, and leapt over a pile of rubbish as they entered the bigger part of it. Piles of broken metal lay everywhere in haphazard heaps, making it hard to move around. The water was thick, but not immobilizing to the point of pressure overload. People had grown quite in-tune with the pressure. Those who couldn’t stand it were deemed sickly, and unable to join the army. Some even were bed ridden, like Makoto’s little brother. It was a saddened shame when he told them he wanted to grow up to be like his older brother, to go outside and fight the invading monsters. His little sister started crying, and that’s when they had to tell him. Makoto vowed to be a better warrior after that, and Haruka had never seen him cry since. It was a funny thing, how people could affect a person so much.

Climbing up an old rocket, Haruka looked around. All there were for miles were heaps of scrap metal waiting to be recycled. Old crimson wires dangled from tall posts and drifted around lazily. It was something out of a horror movie, when the protagonist waited around knowing that he would soon be attacked. Seating himself on the top of a heap, the sapphire-eyed warrior looked around, gun in his hand as he watched other soldiers invade the place. They swarmed like glowing ants around the stacks of junk, waiting for their prey. He hoped the enemies would get there soon, for he wanted to go back and not relive old memories no matter how much of a man he tried to present himself as. He had told Makoto he was fine, that they should grow out of it, but Haruka was no more than a hypocritical liar.

His mind kept flashing back to scenes from his childhood: four kids training for the army. Two of them stood together quietly, whispering words incoherently as they leaned against a towering overhang. Crimson wires dangled from rusting poles and laced the water with their long arms, reassuring them of mock safety. One of the children, the larger one, muffled his sobs and turned towards the other, who had a look of sheer terror and agony on his face. There was a smell of blood in the water, and an abhorrent shriek exploded through their speakers. The one with the blue eyes began to sob, and before he knew it there was a loud crash and older soldiers dropped down from the sky, rescuing those who survived. It was a day Haruka could hardly remember, knowing only the emotions he felt and the last sound he ever heard from his friend. It was an atrocious reminiscence, one he could hardly bring back out of its cage. He sighed inadvertently, and stared down at his hands, which were trembling as they gripped a small metallic gun. Hardly noticing the water around him, he leaned back, recollecting himself and returning the misplaced memories back to where they came from. It was silent, except for the static of the radio. He hated the silence of nothing, and leaned up to turning his outside speakers on.

That’s when he heard a loud resounding behind him. It sounded like steel on steel, and piles of things toppling over each other and onto stones and sand. There was a stillness in the water that made the wires above him tremble, and then dead silence. He sat still, back rigid, as he listened for more movement. Perhaps it had been human error, some soldiers upsetting a tower of dilapidated scraps. In the stillness he waited, and listened, like a guard-dog sensing an enemy. This place had put him on edge once before, and wasn’t about to lose his head over it. Intently straining his ears, he caught a quiet hiss behind him, but it was drowned out by the clatter of feet on steel.

He relaxed momentarily, checking the radar on his arm. There were nothing more than the sensory blips of human life-forms rummaging around on it. That was calming, but still unnerving. The silence grew heavier.

And then the shrieking grew louder.

Whipping around, he stared into the black where he watched a human body get launched through the sky, glowing red and leaking plasma everywhere. He slammed into a pile with a loud fragmented crash, and disappeared under as people struggled to rescue him. A loud metallic screech went up into the atmosphere as people began to panic, adrenaline pumping through their veins. With the water so dark and murky, dirt thrown up and strewn around via greenhorn feet, it was impossible to see where anything was coming from at about thirty meters. Noise began to rumble through the area, and people raised their weapons, startled as a school of fish surrounded by sharks–not as an analogy; that was exactly what they were.

Checking his radar again, Haruka was astonished to see nothing. He knew they were there, the monsters surrounding them, but they didn’t show up on the screen. Everything seemed to be calm and in order, but it was anything but so. The water suddenly blasted by him, and shook him off of his feet. Landing on his knees, he gazed up to see a black silhouette hovering over the company. They were here, they were coming.

Leaping off the edge of the pile, he barely made it as something large and menacing came crashing down into his spot below. Hunks of steel and large plates flew everywhere, slamming into the ground below and scattering groups of army men. Formations, by this time, were nothing more than funny ways of reassuring yourself that everything would be alright. The newbies not knew they couldn’t stay in position, they had to run, and fight on their own accord. 

Landing on his back, Haruka raised his gun into the air and began firing. In the water, regular guns were useless. These bullets were made out of lead and nuclear composites, able to slice right through the heart of anything dumb enough to cross paths. They were heavy enough and powered enough to have the same reaction as one in air, if any person still knew how that felt. Shooting relentlessly, the raven-haired soldier aimed for the heart, and dragged himself back on his feet, backpedalling as fast as he could. Finding himself trapped against a wall, he held down the trigger and waited for his gun to reload. This was bad, him being trapped like this, and the hysteria rising up amongst everyone had his heart racing. It was complete discord, with people running and screaming and firing at the fish-like beasts of the night.

Why couldn’t they just be quiet? Turning his speaker on low, he changed channels to Makoto’s and quickly looked around. He stared up at the smoking creature as a toxic substance started seeped down through the sky. It was their blood, they had been hit. And that meant they were feral.


	3. Mysterious Stranger

“Sometimes, I just want to lose myself and drift, never to return to this cruel world.”

“Makoto! I need back up!” He shouted into the speaker in his breather and looked around frantically. The beasts were closing in all around, tossing people about like play-toys. This wasn’t how his last mission went, there were too many new players, ones who didn’t know the rules of the game. They ran about the board screaming for help, not knowing that one good shot to the heart could kill any beast, including these. As his gun finished loading he pointed it up towards a looming shadow falling closer towards him, and waited until a large silver spike of what looked to be a claw slammed into the wall beside him, collapsing it instantly.

Diving into a clump of sand, Haruka fired back, running backwards as fast as he could. The beast stared at him with vile green eyes, glowing in the black like a beacon. It hissed savagely, and advanced, slamming its bug-like head into the ground and he was thrown into the air, legs getting caught on wires as he slammed back-first into a jagged heap of metal. Feeling his ribs crunch angrily along with his spine, Haruka leaned over, groaning. He looked around at the black water, swirling with dust and sand. Unable to see where he was, he felt his body go cold. Pure terror swept over him as he looked up, the jaws of the beast unhinging grotesquely, long nail-like splinters of teeth sticking out of a filmy skin. Its illuminating green eyes flickered as its mechanical head undid itself, making the human freeze in trepidation.

Haruka looked around for his gun, which was just beyond reach as he scrambled for it. Gloved hand raking at the steel around him, he slammed his eyes shut as the robotic beast cried out murder and fell into him, its metal gears grinding like nails on a chalkboard.

“Haruka!” Makoto’s fuzzy static came online and suddenly he was there, leaping over the edge of the garbage, firing straight at its disfigured face. The beast shrieked and fell broken on the ground, sludge oozing from the head wound. He rolled over the other and stood up, assessing his wounds.

“They aren’t coming up on radar.” The captain gasped, his armor dented and bruised from some other fight. His head was bleeding badly, and one eye was swollen, but he stood upright, leaning on his weapon.

“I know.” Being already bruised and battered from the last encounter with death, Haruka sat only to get blown back by another creature avenging the fallen. It slammed into Makoto, but he held strong as he stumbled backwards, hitting the ground roughly. They didn’t stop coming, and it was turning ugly. People from all over began to retreat, scrambling back quickly as they came. These monsters were like nothing they had faced before, being neither sentient nor earthly. Unknown to the world, they came, and people were forced into submission. It was the most startling events ever to be recorded. Humans didn’t even know what they looked like, but they began picking them off by the hundreds. Towns were going missing, people in power gone, and soon they made themselves shown. At first they looked man-made, but it became clear they didn’t want to be associated any longer. They were the reason why Haruka and the rest of them were now an aquatic dwelling species.

And they had to take to the water after them, just for revenge.

Haruka tried to get up, but he couldn’t. The panels on his back were smashed, shattered like bone and unable to move. He looked up at the beast now towering over him, and resigned to his fate quietly as he could. He wouldn’t be like those who screamed as they were carried away, he had to have dignity. Makoto tried to go after him, shouting his name into the receiver but the other had turned off his helmet’s transceivers, setting it to some old abandoned radio station he usually listened to in times of solitary confinement on his behalf. No sound had come from the other end of the radio in years, and the only thing that he ever got was static. Once he dreamed he heard a laugh, or a sigh, or breathing, but he knew nothing could ever come out of it. He would wait for hours for another sound, but nothing ever came. It was a dead as the person on the other side. Chilling and abhorrently addicting, he would listen to it for hours. He waited, never telling anybody, for a sign of life when there was none.

Static hung in his ears as he looked up, systems screaming at him for repairs, and water leaking through his glass shield. Everything was muted out, and everything was calm. Looking up through a shattered glass wall on his helmet, he watched as the monster reared its ugly head, and shot towards him, fangs glinting in the lowlight. He closed his eyes and waited, but nothing ever came.

Suddenly he heard a thrashing noise, and something that resembled a strangled cry loud enough to emanate through the walls of a helmet. A strong current lashed at his skin as he struggled to sit up, staring out at the silhouetted beast. It reared its horrible head, and then screeched in agony, trying to throw something off. Leaning back into the wall, Haruka felt his breathing come in gasps, the systems in his suit powering down. Everything seemed to rush at him quickly, and he had no time to think. Peering through the splintering cracks in his helmet, he watched the black shadow of a human drive something knife-like into the back of its head, before being tossed off and thrown into a pile of debris below. The man rolled over, clearly injured, and somersaulted away as it came at him, deafeningly. Massive talons crashed into the earth as Haruka watched from an almost upside-down position, witnessing his rescuer get caught up in a storm of dust in the murky water. He stumbled around in the haze, pointing a sharpened edge of steel around, resembling something weapon-like.

The beast stalked him in the night, concealing its presence as it darted around. Images flashed into Haruka’s head as he struggled to sit up. Where was Makoto? Turning to face him, he observed as the other tried to stand, only to fall again in pain as his fractured arm refused to cooperate. Thrusting his head back towards the scene of the crime, it was almost a shock to see the shadowy person race towards him at a startling speed. Haruka’s expression was undistinguishable under the remains of his helmet, but he knew something had gone wrong. Red wires dangled loosely from the other’s mask, broken as if easily. He held his arm awkwardly, and dashed with the speed of a marlin.

He slammed into Haruka soundlessly behind the static of the dead station. But as they collided, the other’s arms wrapping around him and shoving him off the edge of the pile, he heard a sharp inhale, and it came from the speakers in his radio.

“Mo… ove…!” The voice was scratchy and sounded unhuman, but it was certainly there. The unknown person threw him into the sand, upsetting it more, and rolled over him, resting back against an upturned steel wall. Haruka eyed him incredulously, wondering just who this outlandish individual was. He wore no armor that represented the army, but he was human. Who was he? Resting himself on his elbows, he gawked at the massive steel arches that loomed over them. The person had thrown them both into the old dilapidated skeleton of a ship, hiding within its ribcage. Moving quickly, he felt water slosh around in his mask, and get all over his breather, it wasn’t a good situation, and the pressure in his suit was slowly rising, he had to get out of there.

That’s when the whole infrastructure of the ship rocked, the creature wasn’t relenting his chase. Both of the injured males stared up to see its massive unearthly jaws yank apart, revealing nasty splintering teeth. What were they? They weren’t the creatures that people fled from, but worse, grotesque mixtures of beast and machine. It was revolting, foul, disgusting. It was going to eat them both.

A glaring crimson beam caught his attention and he whirled over to face the other, leaning brokenly back against a steel beam, aiming a revolver at the beast’s face. The weapon illuminated scarlet and then the stranger let loose, relentlessly pelting the fiend until it dashed away, hissing. Swimming around them in a large circle, it gashed long holes in the steel arches, knocking them over. Rolling to his side, Haruka dodged one perilously, falling under a steel sheet. This time he was unable to aid the stranger as he dashed for him, missing the impaling of the beast’s shadowy head. Staring at the open space, the stranger whipped out what seemed to be his last knife. It was their only chance now.

Blasting forward, the crimson streak leaped into the air and dove it straight into the monsters thick skull, holding on for his life as if thrust upward, slamming into the skeleton of the ship, and knocking the entire thing sideways. Haruka felt his body get strewn around as the shell rolled once to the side, and settled, everything quiet.

Opening his eyes as water dribbled into his helmet, he looked around to see a creature coming, no, falling towards him with an intense speed. He stared in shock, unable to move as it collided with the ground beside him, a blade sticking out of its head. Who was that man that had killed it just now? It wasn’t anybody he knew, for no one owned a blade of that caliber. It was almost impossible to see now, but he had a sense something was coming towards him, but when was he ever just able to rest? There was always some kind of dilemma he was in, trapped within himself and the jaws of others. What he’d do to just be back in his bunk, staring at pictures of his childhood better left hidden under his bed. It was so exhausting to be a soldier, almost dying more than once, never succeeding to do anything. Those new soldiers hadn’t fired once at the enemies picking them off in the darkness. He didn’t want to know how many had been killed. It seemed now that the titanic fiends were retreating along with the humans, disappearing into the dark with their kills, fish-like tails swaying out behind them.

Haruka wondered if he should just stay out there at the bottom of the trench to die with the rest, it seemed fitting for his line of work. He had been living too long, seen too much. He had watch somebody dear and important to him die.

That’s when a pair of arms wrapped around his chest, under his arms, and lifted him off of the ground. It must have been Makoto, but he wasn’t sure. Switching his radio back to Makoto’s station, he rasped into the speaker.

“Makoto, put me down. I’m done.” He muttered, feeling his weight be shifted on the other person’s back, trying to make it more comfortable for the both of them. Broken wires hung from his helmet, being torn off in the ship. He felt his muscles ache under his suit, and something had to be broken. It was pitiful, only two beasts could do so much damage to one person. He remembered when he could kill two monsters easily.

“That’s not me.” Makoto’s voice came back, scratchy but audible. “He doesn’t even look like he’s from the civilization.”

Haruka opened his eyes in shock, stopping the half-dead flopping around of his arms, and stared through the shattered remains of the glass in his helmet. The man definitely didn’t look like Makoto, and he wore armor that wasn’t issued by the military. All the pieces were mismatched, ranging from reds to silvers, plastics to steels, and he didn’t even wear a helmet. They were broken too, some pieces cracked, revealing a black wetsuit underneath. He looked pretty damaged for the most part, standing awkwardly, as a sickly animal would do. All he had was a large mask on, covering his whole face and sticking out like an animal’s muzzle. The sides blazed red with intricate patterns or teeth etched in black metal, and bubbles poured out the front, not the sides. It was the blazing red glow that caught Haruka’s attention. He could tell the color of the male’s hair, nor any features, he could do nothing more than stare through the glass at him. Makoto sprinted over, holding a smashed arm in his other as he confronted the outlandish individual. Standing in front of the other, he held his battered weapon towards his head, the green laser pointing at his forehead.

“Who are you?” He demanded, the static on his broken headset loud in Haruka’s ear.

The person looked back without an expression, his dark eyes shielded by the shadows of the water. He said nothing but pointed up, holding Haruka’s battered exoskeleton bridal style. There was something strange about him, and he wondered if he was from the other company, or someone entirely different. It seemed as if he was trying to explain that they needed to go upward, that he needed to get out of the water. Haruka felt the armor under him tremble, he was injured badly. Without any sense for his own preservation, the sapphire eyed soldier leapt out of his arms and landed unsteadily in the dirt, knowing that the other couldn’t carry him for long. Staring straight into his alien mask, the other strained to see any sign of facial features, or something that could identify him of at least the human race. There was nothing but a thick shattered mask covering everything.

“Who is he?” Haruka radioed back to Makoto, but before the other could respond the stranger fell to his knees, clutching at his chest. Red liquid seeped out of the artificial veins on his suit and into the water as he gasped inwardly, unable to breathe.

“We have to get him out of here.” He shouted, rushing towards the stranger. Emerald eyes looked concerned and apprehensive, but they became more anxious of an expression as he gazed at the human, and decided to help.

***

Water was drained from the chamber as the last of the survivors entered, carrying themselves as easily as they could. Haruka felt his legs slam together as he was heaved heavily out of the receding wake, his rescuer becoming more strained with every step until his knees eventually gave out. They tried to carry him into the gate, but he couldn’t take another step. Slamming his knees into the hard cement floor, he clutched his chest and fell. Head hitting the floor with a thunderous clank, he struggled to take his mask off, to no avail.

Within the room, under the stressful beams of swirling red and yellow lights, medic swarmed like bees. Armed to the teeth with stationary medical equipment, they began their usual procedures. Dragging wounded warriors onto gurneys and setting up surgical tents, doctors and nurses outranked the soldiers by at least double the staff members. Haruka felt his body ache as he stood to wave over a nurse, afraid for the rescuer down on his knees. It wasn’t out of the usual, him running around flagging down doctors to aid to patients. This time he felt a sense of urgency, and curiosity, as to who the mystery person might be. With an atmosphere of panic, Haruka caught the attention of an idling nurse, who rushed over carrying a bag of supplies and a gurney.

Everything worked perfectly, the nurses never running into each other and the doctors all aligned. It was a process of harmony and tranquility, but as soon as he helped the nurse load the crimson warrior onto the rollaway bed, he felt an urge to remove the mask on his own. It was almost disheartening when another came over to take him away to address his wounds. He felt a sharp pain in his side as he was asked to sit down, and had his helmet removed quickly. Suddenly everything became easier to see, the room not as foggy and the lights more clearly. Beside him the other nurse worked to drag off the mismatched shards of steel protecting the unknown soldier. It looked like a painstaking process, tearing off the foreign metals and tossing them to the floor.

Head throbbing angrily, the sapphire-eyed male looked up, trying to peer over the edge of the gurney. It was impossible to tell, but the woman leaned over his chest, checking for breathing with a specialized hearing aid. She made a distressed clicking noise, then turned to roll him away.

“We need to get him into surgery!” She called to a waiting doctor. “He has broken ribs impaling his lungs.”

“Wait!” Haruka called, stoic appearance wearing off with time. He needed to see who the person was, what he looked like. Disregarding the angry hiss of his own healer, he stumbled over, broken plates falling from his arm, to witness the disappearance of the gurney through the door. As he opened the flap to the tent, he saw her unlatch the edges of the mask, and slowly pull it off.

Crimson hair fell flat against a man’s face, and he looked around Haruka’s own age. His skin was unusually tanned, but what caught the other’s attention made him blanch. His mouth was parted slightly to reveal sharp, shark-like teeth. His eyes were shut, but Haruka had an instinct as to what color they were.

No.

No it can’t be.

Stumbling backwards, a couple of male nurses grabbed onto his arms angrily. Unaware of their aggressive composure, Haruka attempted to wrench himself free, eyes wide and mouth gaping. He had a hard time breathing as he fell back into himself, hysteria creeping into his veins. The room around his swirled, and his head felt like it burst. Everything was hazy, because nothing was real. That man couldn’t be alive, there was no way possible. He was dead, he had been dead. Haruka was crazy, he knew it. The other men tried to grab onto him, yelling angrily as he tried in vain to flee. Slamming into the ground, he almost knocked over a nurse trying to give a man CPR. Chest heaving, he felt a wail rise up in him. This wasn’t like him, he was usually calm. The nightmares he had been getting until now were nothing. The years of therapy for waste. He still felt it, the post-traumatic stress related hysteria that began bubbling within him.

There was no way he could be alive.

He was dead.

The curtains to the tent shut as soon as the nurses caught him, brandishing a dangerously long tranquilizer needle. The last glimpse of his face in the darkness was what finally set him off.

“Rin!” He screeched, eyes watering in agony, causing Makoto’s head to fly up out of the pillow on his gurney. The nurse bandaging his bare arm looked in his direction, and they both watched as the panicked soldier got sedated roughly, and abruptly, knocking him out in an instant. He was cut down to his knees, eyes open with a hollow expression, and fell to the floor with a loud crumpled thump.


	4. The Quiet

“Are we ever truly dead? People live in the memories of others, as long as somebody remembers you, you’re never actually gone. You’re still there, refusing to die, as resolute as always. If somebody remembered me fondly, I would decline the gates of death’s invitation, and live on, searching for that one soul who still truly needed me.”

 

“I don’t see the point in doing this.” Haruka’s irate, set stoic voice echoed through the pale white walls of the hospital. He stared at the ceiling blankly, wondering when the woman would just leave. She had been his therapist for years, and he hated every minute of it. With her bland tone and crude remarks, it was almost pointless. As soon as he found himself awake and alone in the hospital, gaping at the ceiling fan as it idled along, she was called in. Apparently before he had passed out he had shrieked something disturbing around one of the bystanders, a person who claimed they knew him well, and was sedated instantly. Knowing it was Makoto made it worse. They refused to tell him the name, but he knew. He knew exactly who it was. Although unable remember well what it was that he screamed, but he remembered the picture clearly in his head. He knew what he had seen. A man come back from the dead, to haunt him forever.

“You know, Mr. Nanase.” The woman hissed, adjusting her glasses. “I was relieved when we had finished our sessions, I had thought you were finally sane again. I guess I was wrong. Sources tell me you’re still having your nightmares.”

More backhanded half-compliments. Haruka sighed exhaustedly, signaling he wanted to be alone. When she didn’t budge a muscle he went back to his usual scowl. If she didn’t let him rest in peace for a couple more hours he’d come up with a way to really get rid of her, despite the fact that he was bedridden.

“Oh well, I guess it can’t be avoided.” She shrugged, taking a little slip of paper out of her briefcase. “Those with PTSD need better treatment than what the government provides them these days.”

She held up the slip in front of his face, revealing that it was a picture. An old bent picture of four kids, holding up a trophy for ‘most kills in a team’ during a simulated tournament. It reflected smiling faces of all of them, but his. They were dressed in armor too big for them, and yet they were grinning widely. Haruka felt his blood freeze in his veins.

“Where did you get that?” He demanded, and she shrugged, keeping the valuable out of his reach.

“It was given to me.”

“Who gave it to you?” He carefully gritted through his teeth, unable to move as she waved it almost violently over his bandaged head.

“Your captain.” She smiled, then looked at it more clearly, nearly sticking it to her face in the process. “It seems we have a sort of situation.”

Haruka knew plainly what it was, but he didn’t understand why Makoto had to go to the length of raiding his room for it. Deciding to play along, he removed his scowl and put a more of a forlorn grimace on his face.

“What does it have to do with my picture?”

“The doctors, they uh, needed proof that your friend, that man you two pulled out of the blue, was truly who you said he was.” She looked at the photo once more, a serious glint to her eyes behind her old withered frames. “They needed to make sure he was from the society, and I can say that the resemblance is astounding.”

“Has he woken up yet?” Haruka’s gravely aged response shocked her.

“N-no, he just came out of surgery.” She stuttered uncharacteristically, looking away quickly. For some reason she was unable to look into the injured soldier’s eyes as he spoke, it seemed painful to look at someone so broken, yet so full of hope too uncertain to be clearly be defined as so.

He stared up at the ceiling with a hollowed look in his dull blue eyes. “I see.” Was all he managed to respond with. The more he thought about it, the older he seemed to feel. Even the therapist noticed a singular change, and that was his appearance. Though he had just woken up from a long sleep, he looked as exhausted as a dying man, and frail to the bone. She didn’t want to bring it up now that she had seen the damage, but her course said that she had to ask him about the unknown soldier, and so she did with a great amount of hesitation.

“C-can you tell me about him?” She wavered, catching Haruka’s attention. “About the boy in the picture?”

Taking it in a bandaged hand, the injured warrior held it up against the light of the ceiling. It illuminated against the bulb brightly, and made him squint. Taking his time, he tried to put to words what been the greatest years of his life. Deeming it near impossible to respond with an adequate picture of what life was truly like, considering this woman was a couple years younger than he, being 20 when he was 23. Nine years had passed since he had died; they were fourteen and full of life, passion, and fury. He decided to cut his story short.

“I met him when I was nine.” Haruka started, unsure whether to tell her the whole story or not. He’d been used to not speaking for long time periods, but talking to her seemed to come natural. It might have been because she was liscenced to listen to people, but maybe it was because they had known each other for quite some time. After his old therapist, the one he had had through his first two years and the mentor to the one he had now, had left he had taken a liking to tell stories to the young girl she had left behind. It gave him something to live for, even if she was annoying as hell. Age came with wisdom, Makoto always said. She must still be too young.

Digressing from the point, he cleared his throat, somewhat embarrassed for leading her on and waiting for so far. Looking at her, he shuffled uncomfortably. “It’s somewhat on the longer side, are you sure you’d want to stay?”

“Tell me everything.” She smiled and set her materials down, getting comfortable.

“Fine.” He mumbled, rearranging his thoughts into coherent phrases. “It was a lonely time in my life, the year I met the man you know will come to know as Rin Matsuoka.”


	5. The Story of Rin

Oh how the ever blue waves roll on

without any sense of what event

so terrible

has happened

“Oi, Nanase!” I heard an indignant shout from behind me. It seemed somebody was trying to catch my attention. Turning around, I came face to face with a vexed boy who looked around my age. His hair stuck from his head in a funny manner, being the result of taking his helmet off too fast. His eyes were pure crimson as he stared at me, a childish gleam to the roundness in which they were shaped. Adorned on him was a well-fitted suit of armor, and not the cheap kind either. It was polished silver, each plate fitting in with the next and clinging to his wetsuit without any movement or slipping. Wires stuck out from the sides of his shoulders, equalizing the oxygen flow to every limb. His helmet was made of a pure glass which gave him perfect view of his surroundings, while the tubes and air supply wires were tucked neatly under protective scales. He looked rich and put on an atmosphere of aristocracy, and that made me a bit irate myself. It was a predicament, considering he was the third member to our party of four.

I looked him up and down speculatively, and that must have pleased him, because he decided to stand a bit straighter, thinking I wouldn’t catch it. His display was pretty funny, it reminded me of fanciful creatures I had once read about in textbooks called birds, who puffed out their colorful chests and feathers to attract mates. I laughed inwardly to myself. This kid could be a bird, for his hair and eyes were just as equally striking to any bystander.

“Your hair’s so red.” I commented cheekily, unaware of the impact it had on him. The boy blushed furiously, skin turning, of course, as equally red as his hair. He looked like a tomato.

“You trying to flirt, Dolphin Boy?” He retorted, a smile playing at his lips. Blinking in confusion, I tilted my head to understand the nickname. I hadn’t even met the kid yet, and I already was known by something in which I didn’t comprehend.

“Dolphin Boy?” I inquired coldly.

“Yeah rumor has it you’re as fast as a dolphin.” He grinned, looking at me with a sly smirk.

“Dolphins aren’t real creatures.” I huffed, unable to believe in his nonsense. “They’re just things you read about in books and old scriptures.”

“No they’re very real.” The stunningly red-haired boy leaned in close to me, almost whispering. “I know they are. I believe it, just like sharks and penguins and black and white whales.”

“Orcas.” I corrected.

“Orcas.” He repeated as a perfect echo, smiling.

Unable to look away from him as he hovered so close we were almost touching, I took in a sharp breath before I hear a familiar shout from behind us. Thank god, I sighed inwardly, that was getting uncomfortable, I don’t even know who this person is.

“Haru!” Makoto called, waving his arms. A younger blond child bounced around him, giggling bubbly: Nagisa. They ran up to me quickly, panting as I watched them stoically, the stranger falling out of position. He sounded like he let out a held breath and suddenly he was draped over my shoulders, hanging as if his legs had given out. Exaggerating the lack of his physical tolerance for the self-proclaimed elitist mind I had, he made a tired groan, and smiled at Makoto.

“Hey Nagisa, hey Makoto.” He beamed, falling more into me as I tried to get away. Tried and failed, as I should say, for even years after he always found only my shoulder to hang on in times of his own unsystematic relaxation periods.

“Haru, it seems you’ve met Rin,” Makoto smiled, adjusting his armor. “Or maybe the other way around. He’s going to be our Butterfly shooter for the team!”

“He shoots Butterfly?” I asked, looking straight in the face of the goofy boy. It seemed so unlike him to wield two guns at once; shooting Butterfly was almost impossible to most the people he knew. It was a hard area to master.

“Like hell I do!” He grinned, “And what do you shoot Haru?”

“I shoot Freestyle.” I grumbled, still trying to inch away from the particularly clingy redhead. It seemed so obvious, nothing else suited me better. Although stingy about other people having them I was hypocritical when it came to my own gunning.

“Freestyle?” He asked, confused. “How unmethodical.”

I glared at him sharply, and he couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

And that is the story of my first encounter with the small, yet bright flame, Rin Matsuoka.

We won many tournaments since the beginning of that team. At first our captain Sasabe wouldn’t let us enter in the big competitions like the Hunter’s Prix, an outer-water contest of skill and strength for teenagers around the ages of twelve to fourteen.

At age ten we had our first big win, a small area tournament that gave us a name and the gold. It was a perfect year of training and combat practice, while gaining greater bonds along the way. There was only one incident in particular, in which I myself was the only one to blame. We were out in the big waters, the areas surrounding the luxurious domes of the society. A strong current had swept in while we were practicing and blew me away. I tumbled down into the abyss, unable to swim back to the top. I remember slamming my head on a stone and shattering my helmet. In an instant I was out, unable to breathe and spiraling down until Captain Sasabe came to rescue me with Rin and Makoto. I was a dumb, foolish child back then, thinking the water couldn’t hurt me. I really didn’t think of the impact it had on the two until years later. It was a traumatic experience for them, so it was rarely brought up.

The next year swept in like a house-fire, taking away all that we dearly loved in an instant; I remember it like it was yesterday. A large earthquake rattled the trench, the largest on record so far. Stones fell and glass shattered, although nothing was too hazardous in civilization. But down, deep in the depths of the trench rested a small squad of soldiers on duty–including Rin’s father and a dearly beloved older man Makoto had befriended a while back. They had both, and the rest of the team, been crushed by falling stones, and it was a horrible time for all of us. The funeral was quiet, and hundreds showed up, all giving their grievances to the families of the dead, and Rin’s face had never looked so sad in all my life. I wanted to help him, but when I consulted Makoto about it he didn’t know how to help either. It was a dark time.

The third year of our friendship resulted in the winning of the Hunter’s Prix, finally being able to sign up. Our names were spread as rumors at first, saying we were the best rookies in the history of the prix, and were drafted early positions in the military once we all turned sixteen.

The fourth year we were outranked by an older team of four, consisting of two who now call each other old acquaintances. We placed silver and they gold, and yet we all made friends easily. Although I can’t remember their names now I remembered a flash of silver and orange hair, that in which I had never seen again. The two other members were a complete mystery, and it bothers me to this day.

And then came the fifth year of my knowing Rin. It spelled the anniversary of the beginning and end of our now closely-knitted friendship. It was the third year of the Prix; becoming a sort of tradition for us to do. We knew the rules and played by the book, insuring a trophy or medal by the end of it for our popular team. We were fourteen then, going on fifteen. We were arrogant and strong. Hearts of iron; Capt. Sasabe would say to us. He always looked so proud, with a fire in his eye that gave us the will to power forward. We thought we could do this forever, but what we didn’t know was looming just overhead waiting for our downfall.

I hid behind a wall, gun in hand as the faded aqua laser shot straight up into the atmosphere, a beacon to the others in my team to signal where I was. It was our thing, using our lasers as signals. Nobody knew of it, and was a great asset to our battle plans. Staring through the murky water, I wondered where everybody was. Being older than some of the other teams, we had first pick as to where ours would be located. Rin of course had chosen the deepest crack in the area, making it easy for us to hide from others and possible threats.

I yawned, a quick indicator for lack of air in my system. Checking the gauge on my arm, I blinked a couple tired tears away. I was on low, but the games were almost over. There were two teams still left competing, and that was ours and another. Rin and Makoto had scouted ahead, being the only two left after Nagisa had been shot by a fellow team. We were all hunting each other out there, and any big catches to earn us extra points. When a person bot shot the glowing ring on their chest would go dark, signaling their defeat. Rin said he didn’t need another open target when he and Makoto were trying to hunt down the rest, being the best team players.

Standing up from my seated position against the wall, I started to worry. It had been twenty minutes ago that he had said that. How much longer were they going to take? Turning to look outside the cave, I eventually came to the conclusion that I had to go look for them, it was either that or run out of air waiting.

Worried enough for a burst of motivation, I tumbled out from the cavern with a bit of dignity intact, considering Rin had to pick the worst possible spot ever for a hide out. It was high off the ground, our cave, with jagged rocks sticking out in every direction. It made a horrible labyrinth to move around in, but not for us. We were used to the trauma of trying to find your way out.

I made it out in one piece, as to be expected, and nearly spun myself in a circle looking around. The water was dark and bleak, churning with the dust of the depths. Making it almost too stagnant to see, I shoved away some dirt in my view with my arm, trying to make it easier to look around in. when the weather below was like this it made a human a particularly easy target to be swallowed up by the big kills of the trench. Fish seemed to be able to sense us better than we could sense them, technology or not. I didn’t know which way any of them went, but the stadium they were competing in was not that big, so I would have to find them eventually.

Leaping over a pile of stones, I found myself scrambling up a cliff. Gripping onto a couple of steel bars sticking out of the surface, I swung my feet into a couple crevices to balance out. The top was nearing pretty quickly, for the platform wasn’t at all too high for me to reach. I rolled onto the top with a satisfied, yet clumsy thump. It was always hard to walk around underwater; and no matter how many times I told myself I was as awkward as a jellyfish in an eddy, the others told me I looked graceful. I snorted, yeah right.

Gun dangling loosely from my slightly oversized belt, I tried to pull it up into a more comfortable position. Where were everybody? For all I knew it could already be over, but my headset had never received an announcement about it. Looking around from the platform’s height, I could see over the cloud of dust I was in. my heart stopped a bit when I started thinking about that cloud. Gazing down at it, I took to account that it was only right there, a large dust bowl right at the base of the platform. Beyond that the waters were clear and healthy; I could see for miles. Swapping my gaze from the anomaly to the horizon I assessed the possibilities. There could have been a scuffle earlier here, or maybe the current had swept it up. Worst case scenario, I thought, chilled my bones. What if something had stirred all that sand?

“A Requiem?” I muttered to myself, witnessing the picture of a gigantic sea beast with steely eyes flash before me. It was a horrifying thought to fight one out there alone, especially one that they used in the games. The monsters certainly weren’t friendly; it wasn’t something I wanted to dwell on for long.

I didn’t take any chances though; when I thought about it nothing else made the most sense. If one of those dangerous fiends was slithering around in the waters near me I didn’t want to be out in the open. I found myself a little alcove in a pile of old plated walls long discarded, hiding beneath their open wings. Words kept spinning in my head that I shouldn’t have come out here, because who knew what was waiting in the dark of it all. Noises kept me on edge for the next hour or so, making me more jumpy than was of my character. I would have an excuse for the embarrassing amounts of panicking I underwent while hiding from any threat, but when you’re that young it’s okay to be afraid. No front could withstand the terrors of those beasts, the Requiem, as I know now.

Another hour soon came to pass, and I was about to pass out from either lack of oxygen or exhaustion from stress, when I heard another human voice make it into my helmet’s radar radio. I knew it was human from the distinct sound of panting, but what made me the most afraid was the sheer fact that I heard a scream. It was distant, but there, and it sounded like Makoto.

“… Hurry,”

“We have to move!”

“… Makoto move faster..!”

“Leave me and go!”

“No,” there was the sound of a choking cough. “I won’t!”

“Leave me Rin!”

I stood instantly, my blood curdling and my will to survive strong. They showed as little colored blips on my radar, one red and the other green. They were practically on top of each other and heading in my direction, below his platform in the cavernous channels that wove through the entire game board. A white bull’s-eye was following them.

“Requiem.” I breathed, instantly going for my gun.

“:Haru?” Was Rin’s distraught voice, echoing with adrenaline. “Why are you here?!”

“Why’s that thing following you?” I ignored his question. “And why is its target white? They’re supposed to be yellow.”

“It’s an aberrant. It’s not supposed to be here.” He responded terrified.

“The game designers didn’t plan for this one! It’s trying to kill us.” Was Makoto’s broken voice.

“You have to get out of here Haruka!” Rin gasped, his breaths coming in short. “It hasn’t sensed you yet. You still have a fighting chance!”

“No.” I got to my feet and ran over to the ledge, hiding behind a pillar of stone and trying to make out the two shapes hurtling by. For sounding so injured they were sure getting out of there fast. “I’m staying and fighting.”

“Don’t be an idiot!” I watched Rin drop to his knees in exhaustion. “It’s too–”

He stopped and I saw it, slipping out of the darkness quickly. Its body moved like a snake’s, long centipede-like talons stuck out from its horrendously serpentine hide. Long mantis arms in thousands wove around its neck like a mane and it gazed down with glowing amber eyes. It was a behemoth, easily ten times the size of anything I had ever seen before. But it was too late to run. That thing was staring down my best friends like they were something to eat.

I don’t really remember what happened in the time I leapt off the edge firing at its head, but I remember it catching my foot in its splintering jaws and flinging me into the ground below. Rin was at my side instantly, shoving me onto my back and helping me up as Makoto stepped back, shooting relentlessly at its head. His gun may have been bigger and stronger than the rest of ours, but it worked like it was a child’s toy against the thing. The Requiem screeched like a banshee, throwing it’s terribly massive claws into the towering walls around us.

We were trapped like rats in a cage, cowering broken and damaged; unable to run. It advanced upon us quickly, looking for an easy meal as it soon got. I fell back onto my feet quickly, gun in hand and firing at it as uncompromisingly as Makoto was. It was no use though, the monster surged forward rapidly with its jaws unhinged like a snake’s. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck raise as stones fell like rain from the atmosphere above, pelting the ground in their silent fury. The monster thrashed up against the wall, swinging its arms around to trap us within the boulder arches of defeat. Its tail swung out madly behind it like an animal’s, but it was much smarter than any fish. I knew it wasn’t whether we won or lost, it was whether we got away or not. With a thump, I shoved myself out of the way of a falling rock, dodging it quickly as I stumbled for safety.

“We can’t win, we have to run!” I gasped, grabbing onto Makoto’s arm and helping him up after he too was shoved aside by a falling obstacle. We tried to get away, our boots lugging behind us lowly as our muscles grew tired and jelly-like. Makoto let go of me as we ran and turned back. Only to see the thing heaving its massive body at us, strong currents of water blasting us backwards.

I hit the ground with a terrible crack, water leaking into my helmet slowly. Makoto landed beside me, and his radio fizzed a bit as he began to cough. It was too hard to move, feeling as if every bone in my body was burned out and my oxygen depleted. With every breath came pain and my lungs were agonizingly dry. Is this what it feels like to drown? I thought to myself miserably, adrenaline leaking out with the oxygen. It was as if somebody had been sitting on me, the pressure messing with my head. For a second I thought I was screaming in agony, and Makoto’s voice came over the radio telling me everything was alright. But it wasn’t, his helmet was untouched, and mine was releasing everything vital to my survival. Do you know how painful it is to be crushed by the pressure of the open ocean? To have all your oxygen stripped out of your veins and to feel as if your ears were splitting open? It was agonizing, and I could only gather the strength to stop whining and to look up to see the thing barreling towards us.

Jest behind us was a drop off into the darker parts of the labyrinth where no monster could dwell. The maze was too thin, too narrow for their large bodies to make it in. if only we could find a way to get down there; then at least both Makoto and Rin would survive. Rin… I thought to myself suddenly. Where’s Rin? Gazing into the dark end before me, I could only see the hazy form of the monster towering over us, its amber eyes burning like beacons in the dark. With little warning it shrieked victory and dove down for the kill. Making me flinch, but not look away. What was the point to look away from your death, missing it would be useless. I always wanted to know what death looked like when you stared it in the eyes.

Makoto looked away though, he cried out as the thing’s head made only seconds before us. As I watched it unhinge its jaw and reveal its needle like teeth, I felt strangely at ease. Of course everything was going so fast I couldn’t understand what was going on but who really cared now. I thought that all up until a red streak of light exploded from above us, leaping off the top of the platform into the channel, something glistening and sharp in his hand. It was Rin, with a piece of worn steel in his hand, sharpened like a knife.

He dove it deep into the thing’s tongue, making it shriek and throw its ugly head up, taking him along with it. I felt a strong lashing hit me, the water blowing Makoto and I closer and closer to the ledge. But this time I didn’t want to fall deeper.

“Riiiiin!” I screamed brokenly, watching as he held on with his life, his fifteen year old body mustering all the strength it could.

With another buck, the fiend blew us over the edge, and I grabbed onto a pipe as Makoto plummeted into the depths. My knees slammed against the hard stone painfully, and I felt something definitely break as I struggled to pull myself up. Rin was being thrashed around so painfully it was already unlikely that he was alive, but I knew he was, for he was laughing into his headset; as if it were the end.

The Requiem shouted its last song of pain and misery as it latched its jaw back in, and slammed its teeth together, enclosing the boy I called my best friend in its jaws. There was a couple sparks, and it lashed its head around in agony, throwing its body into the walls with full force, collapsing them both around it.

“Rin!” I called desperately as another gust shoved me closer to my fall, eyes tearing up as the stones settled around them. My helmet buzzed quietly, and then a quiet voice came online.

“….It’s alright… Haruka.” Rin’s voice was quiet and resigned. “…. Survive.”

The debris exploded everywhere in an exhilarating roar. Stones rained down from the heavens and a wave of sand came hurtling towards me, finally blowing me off the ledge and into the open water. The beast reared its bloody head out of the mess and burst upwards, its ribs jutting from its metallic sides, scales falling everywhere with loud clangs. Bones jabbed out of its shoulders, and its talons were blunted and broken. Part of its head looked damaged, its jaw and snout smashed; illuminating green blood drifted everywhere. It screeched again, and I felt a tear stain my cheek as Rin’s gun dropped from its mouth. The Requiem sang its last song as it hurtled up into the sky, taking Rin with it. I watched as its tail slammed into the walls of the trench and disappear within the black of the everlasting night.

Haruka looked at his therapist calmly, no emotion to be found on his face; within his eyes or in his words. He told the story quietly, but with enough passion to make her relive everything he did at one point.

“I…” He continued, his throat dry. “I blacked out shortly after I hit the ground, safely hidden within the warren. I can safely assume it was Makoto who signaled the distress sonar upwards. We didn’t speak of it much after that when I woke in the hospital. It was just like that that everything came crashing down. They eventually cancelled the games, considering they were now deemed too unsafe for any child to be outside the society without any older soldiers with them. Nobody really spoke of Rin, not even his sister who we came to be good friends with. Everything just kind of ended then and there. We never spoke of it since.”

“I…” She looked at him in shock. “I didn’t know…”

“That’s alright.” Haruka sighed despairingly. “I just want some sleep now.”

“I, I think that would be for the best.” She got up to leave and turned the light off behind her.


End file.
